Topic summary contributed by volunteer(s): John and Gloria

Maintaining Joint Health

Maintaining joint health means stopping the chain of events that cause joint disease. Joint disease has many causes, including injury, infection, and inflammation (arthritis) and is nearly always associated with pain.

A key to joint health is minimizing inflammation. Many studies show the anti-inflammatory effects of a plant-based diet. Animal protein, such as meat, fish, dairy, and eggs, appear to have inflammatory effects. In addition to possible inflammatory effects, meat contains high concentrations of uric acid that can end up as crystals in the joint space in a very painful condition called gout.

Treating Joint Disease Symptoms

The anti-inflammatory compounds in sesame seeds may reduce knee pain in sufferers of osteoarthritis, who lose joint cartilage possibly due to inflammation.

A plant-based diet and the spice turmeric may alleviate the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, which is the progressive destruction of the joints by the body’s own immune system.

Studies have shown that cherry juice may be useful in reducing gout flare-ups.

The information on this page has been compiled from the research presented in the videos listed. Sources for each video can be found by going to the video’s page and clicking on the Sources Cited tab.

Image Credit: Kim Ui Jin / Unsplash. This image has been modified.